Mercifully the transfer portal has closed.
In the Boat
Since our last update, CU’s transfer portal class has added running back Richard Young, defensive backs Jason Stokes Jr., Paul Omodia and Jah Jah Boyd (Bob Marley fans rise up!), defensive linemen Samu Taumanupepe (yes, we have a killer whale now), and offensive linemen Jayvon McFadden and Sean Kinney from the transfer portal. We’ll look at their expected contributions momentarily. By my count, CU is up to 79 scholarship spots filled, with 58 of those spots filled by newcomers (
Colorado’s transfer portal class is up to 43 players. I have them unofficially with 79 scholarship spots filled, 58 of those by newcomers
But first, we have bigger fish to fry….
Transfer Starters Up Front
I have many hair-brained college football theories. There’s one that is particularly bad news for CU’s football team in 2026: I don’t believe that you can build a competitive offensive or defensive line at the Power 4 level if those lines are comprised primarily of transfer players.
Unfortunately for me, CU is probably going to have 4 transfer starters on the defensive line and 3.5 transfer starters on the offensive line (I assume that returnee Larry Johnson Jr. will start at tackle and that returnee Yaya Attia has a 50% chance of starting at guard). Thus, CU will have about 7.5 transfer starters on the offensive and defensive lines. For this analysis, we’ve assumed 5 OL starters and 4 DL/edge starters.
How does this compare to other top teams?
A quick look at the top 10 from this past season indicateas that you can patch the trenches with transfers but that you can’t primarily start transfers up front because there’s too little cohesion and culture.
The team with the most transfer starters on the offensive and defensive lines was Texas Tech, starting five transfer linemen (out of 9) across the OL/DL. Indiana/Miami/Oklahoma were right behind with four. But at the other end of the spectrum, Alabama started zero transfer linemen in its starting nine up front — and several other top teams were much closer to “sprinkle in a piece or two” than “portal-built front.”
The takeaway for CU is simple: transfers can absolutely raise your floor in the trenches, but the best programs still treat the portal like spackle and not a home’s foundation. If CU’s plan is to rebuild the offensive and defensive front every offseason with short-term mercenaries, then I don’t think the program will be successful. Best case scenario her is that CU’s front office is perfect at evaluation, development, and retention… because the margin for error in the trenches is basically none.
[Quick disclaimer: thank you to Mr. ChatGPT for the research. I tried to double check his/her work, but if any of the transfer information is wrong, take it up with your AI overlords.]
[Quick disclaimer #2: it’s (sometimes) important to read the comments to the article below. There’s a slim chance that Kareem Harden and Zarian McGill both return, which would give CU about 3 returning starters instead of 1.5 returning starters and would give CU only 1 more transfer starter up front than Texas Tech this past season.]
[Quick disclaimer #3: some have mentioned that it’s likely Chauncey Gooden starts. It’s possible for sure. If he does start, however, then there’s a material likelihood he’s starting in front of Yoyo Attia so it might be a wash from a returning player standpoint.]
State of the Roster (January 19th Edition)
There are still transfer potal needs at QB, TE, LB and maybe corner.
Quarterback
Needs to add: at least 1
Current Roster: Julian Lewis, transfer Isaac Wilson, freshman/transfer Kaneal Sweetwyne
Running Back
Needs to add: 0-1
Current Roster: DeKalon Taylor, Micah Welch, transfer Jaquail Smith, transfer Damian Henderson II, transfer Richard Young [Simeon Price transferred out this past week]
Wide Receiver
Needs to add: 0-1
Current Roster: Joseph Williams, Quanell Farrakhan Jr., Quentin Gibson, Hykeem Williams, true freshman Alexander Ward, true freshman Xavier McDonald, transfer Danny Scudero, transfer Kam Perry, transfer Ernest Campbell, transfer DeAndre Moore Jr.
Tight End
Needs to add: at least 2
Current Roster: Zach Atkins, Corbin Laisure, Zayne DeSouza, transfer Fischer Clements. [As a quick aside — what the hell are we doing with our tight end room? This room needed to be a transfer priority and it just hasn’t been this off-season.]
Offensive Line
Needs to add: 0-1
Current Roster: Chauncey Gooden (G), Yahya Attia (G), Andre Roye Jr. (T), Larry Johnson (T), true freshman Ben Gula (C), true freshman Xavier Payne (LT), true freshman Josiah Manu (T), transfer Jayven Richardson (T), transfer Taj White (T), transfer Bo Hughley (T), transfer Jose Soto (G), transfer Demetrius Hunter (C), transfer Jayvon McFadden (G), transfer Sean Kinney (G)
Defensive Line
Needs to add: 0-1
Current Roster: Quency Wiggins (hybrid), true freshman Joseph Peko (edge), junior college transfer Domato Peko Jr. (interior), transfer Lamont Lester Jr. (edge), transfer Yamil Talib (edge), transfer Dylan Manuel(interior), transfer Balansama Kamara (hybrid), transfer Toby Anene (edge), transfer Immanuel Ezeogu (edge), transfer Santana Hopper (hybrid), transfer Tyler Moore (interior), transfer Ezra Christensen (hybrid), transfer Sedrick Smith (interior), transfer Vili Taufatofua (edge), transfer Samu Tamanupepe (interior)
Linebacker
Needs to add: at least 1
Current Roster: Kylan Salter, true freshman Carson Crawford, true freshman Rodney Colton Jr., true freshman Colby Johnson, transfer Gideon Lampron, transfer Tyler Martinez, transfer Liona Lefau
Defensive Back
Needs to add: 0-1
Corner: Makari Vickers, RJ Johnson, true freshman Maurice Williams, true freshman Preston Ashley, transfer Justin Eaglin, transfer Cree Thomas, transfer Emory Floyd, transfer Jason Stokes Jr., transfer Paul Omodia [Isaiah Hardge transferred out this past week]
Safety: Ben Finneseth, true freshman Alexander Ward, true freshman Braylon Edwards, transfer Naeten Mitchell, transfer Randon Fontenette, transfer Boo Carter, transfer Jah Jah Boyd [Carter Stoutmire transferred out this past week]
New Transfer Evaluations
OL Sean Kinney (Lafayette)
Out of all our OL additions, I am probably the most excited about Sean Kinney. Kinney, a 6’2” 310-pound interior lineman, was an All-Conference guard for Lafayette this past season. Kinney had the lowest allowed pressure rate in the FCS last season at 1.1%.
Kinney has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
Most interestingly to me, however, is that Kinney had an offer to transfer to Penn State for wrestling. Penn State is the top wrestling program in the country so if Kinney is being recruited to wrestle there then he is one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the country. Wrestlers understand leverage and often have explosive functional strength and superior footwork.
Kinney had a 72 PFF ranking, comprised of a 81.5 pass blocking grade and a 68.5 run blocking grade. He can play any of the 3 interior offensive line positions.
OL Jayvon McFadden (Ohio State)
This one really surprises me. McFadden is Jordan Seaton’s cousin, and after Seaton announced that he was transferring out of the program this past week, I assumed that McFadden wasn’t going to CU.
Shows you what I know.
The 6’3” 295-pounder was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school last year, committing to Ohio State over offers from Michigan, Oregon, Florida, Georgia, and many more. He is ranked the 35th best interior OL transfer this portal season by 247. McFadden only played in 15 snaps this past season for Ohio State, and he had a 57 PFF grade in those limited snaps.
McFadden has 4 years of eligibility remaining.
RB Richard Young (Alabama)
There’s a reason that in every portal update I’ve listed Young’s name as a likely addition to the roster. Two sources that I spoke with inside the Champions Center told me that Young was a highly talented back that was very interested in CU and that he just hasn’t had enough opportunities at Alabama to flash. Let’s hope they’re correct.
Young rushed 23 times for 64 yards this past season. In the 2024 season, he rushed 27 times for 146 yards. Young was the #4 RB and the #55 overall player from the class of 2023.
Young had a 64.5 PFF grade for Alabama last season. His weakness has been pass blocking, where he had a 44.8 PFF grade last season. This will need to improve if he’s going to play a lot of minutes in Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense.
Young has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
DL Samu Taumanupepe (Baylor)
CU badly needed more size up front.
Enter Samu.
Samu is a 6’3” 375-pound (!) interior lineman that originally committed to Florida and then flipped to CU. He brings much needed size to CU’s defensive line, but he only played 49 snaps over 3 seasons at Baylor, so it is probably unfair to expect him to play a huge number of snaps for CU. He finished last season with a 49.2 PFF grade, which is materially below average.
https://x.com/Samu4T/status/2012779441424945474/video/1
DB Jason Stokes Jr. (Utah)
Stokes is a tall freshman corner (6’2”) that played in all 12 games last season for Utah. While most of his snaps were only special teams, Stokes finished the season with the highest PFF grade among Utah’s cornerbacks (including a higher PFF grade than Utah-to-Michigan transfer Smith Snowden). He finished the season with a 70.1 PFF grade. Now, this is with a small sample size as Stokes Jr. only played in 2 games. Still, it speaks to the fact that he has flashed in his limited playing time.
Stokes Jr. has 3 years of eligibility remaining.
DB Jah Jah Boyd (Indiana)
Boyd is a redshirt freshman with the Hoosiers that played in 5 games this season, recording 8 tackles and a forced fumble. He originally committed to James Madison but then transferred to Indiana with his head coach Curt Cignetti. Boyd will have 3 years of eligibility in Boulder.
The 5’11” 175-pound safety finished the season with the 2nd highest PFF score on Indiana’s defense – a 90.1 overall grade with a 89.7 pass coverage grade. Now, he did that in only 47 snaps, so this is a small sample size. Still, in his limited minutes, Boyd really flashed. I know that there is a lot of competition at safety with Boo Mitchell, Randon Fontenette, and Naeten Mitchell, but don’t be surprised if Boyd is a starter – and one of CU’s best players — next season.
DB Paul Omodia (Lamar)
Lamar CB Paul Omodia started 23 games over the last 2 seasons at Lamar and earned All-Southland Conference honors. He had 57 tackles, 1 sack, 13 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery this fall. He started his career playing at Illinois State, making him the 2nd player in CU history to have played for the Redbirds (after Teon Parks played for CU last season).
The 6’2” 200-pound Omodia has 2 seasons of eligibility remaining. He had a 73.8 PFF grade this past season and a75.6 PFF grade in the 2024 season.
John’s Picks of the Week (to read, to watch, to think about, or to ignore….)
–CU is a top 20 most valuable college football program according to the WSJ (and the most valuable non-Big 10 or SEC team).
Want the full article? Click here ($):
https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/college-football-team-value-16fd09bb?mod=hp_listb_pos2
–Wait, the Aztecs might have originated in….Utah?
— Silicon Valley believes right now is the last chance to amass generational wealth before AI makes money worthless. ($). Yeah, AI! Whatever you do, don’t ruin your year and read the AI 2027 essay. It’ll make you move to the moon.
–Oh you want to read the AI 2027 article? Here you go. Don’t tell you I didn’t warn you, though.
–“You’ve heard about who ICE is recruiting. The truth is far worse. I’m the proof.” A powerful read.
–Josh Pate is 100% correct here – most of the destructive decisions in college football were made by drive-thru “leaders.” College football should be operated like a public trust, not the opportunity to pad the resume.
–A 5-hour video detailing how Oz Pearlman pulls off his tricks. I’m about 1/3 of the way through and this is fascinating stuff. YouTube has some amazing stuff, folks.
Broken Record Rant #3,130 (and yes, the number goes up each time I give the rant)
Colorado has somehow backed itself into the absurd position of needing to add a total of 48-50 players from the transfer portal this off-season. This is all the predictable result of punting on high school recruiting, misfiring on last year’s transfer evaluations, and bleeding guys out of the program (whether they arrived from high school or the portal). I’m going to ask this again – how do you create a team culture every year when 70% of the roster is comprised of new players to the program?!
….and /scene.
If you want to read more about BuffsBlog, including snippets on all prior incoming transfers, check out our last transfer update at:
Fascinating stuff regarding transfer starters on o-line and d-line. Of course, CU doesn’t have some of the advantages of the blue blood top 10 teams, and therefore might have to rely more on transfers, but overall very interesting. And thanks for the Oz video – I’m going to watch it. That dude is amazing.
Agreed that CU doesn’t have some of the advantages of the top 10 teams but we are in Deion Sanders’ 4th year now, so I’m not willing to give him that much rope.
The video shows how much work Oz does to pull off his tricks. It’s eye opening but it’s also easily explainable.
That’s disappointing regarding how reliant we’ll be on transfers up front. I need more hope!
Also, thanks for this – this is a valuable free resource for CU fans. Thx!
Here’s a kernel of hope – both Zarian McGill and Kareem Harden have applied for another year of eligibility. Fingers crossed that they get it although I’ve been told not to expect good news.
Love the site.
Thanks Dave
I’ll be interested to see how this portal class pans out. I like the mix of “lower division” performers and P4 potential. I haven’t spent much time looking at past stats, etc., but it seems like this year most of the P4 guys have some production. Limited production, to me, shows that guys can play and are making plays when they get in the game, but maybe are just playing behind someone better. The last couple years, it seemed the Buffs mostly got P4 guys with no stats, just unrealized potential. Not surprisingly, none of those guys seemed to realize that potential at CU either.
PS – please steer clear of political articles. There has to be one place we can escape that noise!! Other than that, keep up the good work!
I agree that taking lower division players that were high performers is a better path than backup 4 star players from an SEC school.
Regarding “no political articles,” I get wanting a refuge. The Picks section is intentionally eclectic, and I’m going to keep it that way. Best part: it’s optional, and skipping links is undefeated. As an aside, I think it’s an interesting essay no matter one’s political persuasion.
Thanks for your thoughts.